Piloting RC helicopters

The process of learning to pilot RC helicopters involves several steps which include:-

It is usually advisable to have your helicopter set and trimmed before taking any further action. Many models are usually set by default, however where your helicopter needs to be set you should have it done by an expert. Manuals are always provided for all RC helicopters to help the operators in performing various activities. Trimming the helicopter is very vital in that it enables the learner to use just a simple training gear which he/she can even make by her/himself. The training gear is however not mandatory for all the helicopters. For some you can do without while for the large sized ones it is very important. The objective of this phase of learning is to understand the functioning of all the controls of the helicopter as you prepare for taking off.

After the ground exercise has been completed successfully the next step is to hover the helicopter. Hovering marks both the starting and ending of flights for all RC helicopters. For starters it is usually wise to have instructors alongside them before taking off as well as detailed manuals explaining step by step actions to be taken. Basically the overall objective of hovering is to make sure that the helicopter attains maximum stability before taking off or landing.

Hovering gives way to basic flight of the RC helicopters. This involves flying the helicopter to some identified spots while maintaining it at a tail-in orientation. The purpose of this phase is to learn how to follow directions by repeated exercise until you are content that you have mastered the lesson and you are able to fly the helicopter to any destination of choice.

This step of learning to operate RC helicopters constitutes the reverse of the controls learned in step 2 above. This time instead of hovering the helicopter tail-in, you hover it with the nose facing you. This step superficially appears simple but it can prove to be challenging to many beginners. This step requires extensive practice to improve on the orientation skills before taking to high heights.